Oceans carry the bulk of the world's trade, are a major source of food and employment and help regulate the planet's climate but they are under threat from pollution, over-fishing and global warming. Governments and businesses are increasingly aware of the value of oceans but are struggling to address the many threats that imperil seas
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Asian shares crept higher on Friday as solid U.S. data improved sentiment, but gains may be limited by concerns that rising oil prices could deal a further blow to the fragile euro zone economy and moves to take profits after recent rallies. MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.4 percent,
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Lloyds is set to follow rival Royal Bank of Scotland with a hefty 2011 loss, highlighting the difficulty Britain faces in trying to sell the stakes in the two banks it acquired when it bailed them out more than three years ago. Lloyds, 40 percent owned by the British government, will bear the brunt of
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Bottom warmers in cars may ease frigid winter commutes, but dermatologists warn that extended exposure to seat heaters can lead to a skin condition called "toasted skin syndrome." Two reports in the Archives of Dermatology describe rashes on legs that erupt by pressing against warmed-up seats for prolonged periods of time. Toasted skin syndrome might
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EU Commissioner for taxation and customs Algirdas Semeta is due to visit Cyprus, on Friday. According to an press release issued by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus Semeta will meet Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Sotriroula Charalambous, representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Auditor General of the Republic Chrystalla Georghadji. He will
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The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the European Organization for the safety or air navigation- EUROCONTROL are organizing an annual Conference on safety performance to take place 28-29 February in the coastal town of Limassol. According to a press release, the aim of the conference is to bring together CEOs of Air Navigation Service
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German business sentiment rose to its strongest in seven months in February, offering fresh evidence that Europe's largest economy will dodge a recession even as euro zone peers tighten their belts to fight off the sovereign debt crisis. The Munich-based Ifo think tank's business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 companies,
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Greece's debt problems drove a slew of heavy losses across the European banking sector on Thursday, and bosses warned the euro zone crisis would continue to threaten earnings. From France to Germany, Britain to Belgium, some of the region's biggest banks lined up to reveal billions of euros lost through writedowns on Greek loans. "We
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Finding Nemo is about to get a lot easier with the launch of a scientific survey that will allow anyone with access to the internet to take a virtual tour of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The survey, which will use a variety of high-tech underwater cameras, will carry out one of the most intensive studies
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Greece's parliament will endorse a debt swap with private bondholders on Thursday to help reduce the country's debt and secure an international bailout, despite new protests against the tough terms of the deal. The swap, in which private investors exchange their bonds for lower-value debt, will slice 100 billion euros ($132 billion) off Greece's debt,
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